Seven Years: A Prince of Persia Tale
by SolidSonicTH
Summary: A collection of stories that retell the events between The Sands of Time and Warrior Within, showing the evolution of the Prince. Will grow as I come up with ideas for new stories.
1. Prologue

**Seven Years: A Prince of Persia Tale**

_**Prologue**_

_Disclaimer: I have no ownership of the Prince, Farah or any other Prince of Persia character._

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_**In a mysterious void, unseen to the human world…**_

"There has been…a disruption…" a shapeless voice said from the mists of the dark void. His voice echoed into the emptiness swirling with a hazy smoke.

"Indeed…I can feel it…" another unseen voice responded.

"Someone has caused a great disturbance to the Timeline…" a third voice added.

"The Sands of Time are never to be released…and now the one who released them also has recalled them…" the first voice said. "There is a high penalty to pay for such actions."

"How was he able to survive?" the second voice asked.

"The Dagger prevents the wielder from becoming consumed by the Sands…but it is not an item that is meant to be used by the mortal," the original voice explained from the darkness.

"Something must be done. No man can escape fate…no man has…" the third voice offered.

"We have our ultimate weapon…the perfect assurance that fate cannot be avoided," the first voice said. As it spoke, a beam of light cut through the darkness from seemingly nowhere. "Step forth…" the voice commanded.

From the blackness, a shadowy form stepped into the center of the light. It was a tall, menacing creature with two horns that together formed the shape of the infinity. Its body was a dark shade of black and rays of light pierced from within its powerful form. Tendrils on its body whipped about as a dark smoke effervesced off its frame. When it was in the center of the light, it dropped to one knee in subservience.

"What…is your command?" it asked with a sinister, haunting voice.

"Dahaka…ever present Guardian of the Timeline…someone has violated the sanctity of the timeline and changed his fate with the Sands of Time…" the voice explained. "The punishment for unleashing the Sands of Time is death…and yet he has escaped such an end and even successfully returned the Sands to the Hourglass."

"This is an unprecedented violation of the timeline…" the second voice stepped in. "There will be no toleration…no mercy for anyone who dares challenge their fate and escape such certain death."

"Your mission is simple," the third voice commanded. "Find this 'Prince of Persia'…see to it his fate as was prescribed in the Timeline is properly met…defiance of fate cannot be allowed. We do not care how long it takes. Whether you find and seal his fate in days' time or chase him to the ends of eternity itself, stop at nothing to cease him."

"The Timeline will remain unchanged. I can assure that this wretch shall meet the fate that he was destined to see," the Dahaka replied, purpose in his voice.

"Those are your orders…see to it you do not fail us…" the first voice said in conclusion.

The Dahaka stood up then quickly evaporated into a plume of black smoke.

"Fate…shall never be changed…"

_**And so…fate's course is underway…**_

_(A/N: This is my attempt at unofficially retconning the events of "Battles of Prince of Persia", the DS game. I'm not satisfied with the story in that game and I wanted to try to tie the events of The Sands of Time and Warrior Within more closely together. These stories take place between the seven years between those two games and I may challenge some of the continunity in Warrior Within as a result but it's only in the interest of making the the bridge cohesive. These stories will tell the story as I want to imagine it from different perspectives over the seven years separating the two games, hopefully describing the Prince's changed character between the two games.)_


	2. Story I: Closure

**Seven Years: A Prince of Persia Tale**

_**Story I: Closure**_

The Prince slowly crept back to the encampment his father's troops had established at the outskirts of the Maharajah's fortress palace. Dawn had broken and the men were readying themselves for the coming siege of the palace. He quietly returned to his tent to make it seem as if he had never fled from the camp to avoid arousing suspicion from the soldiers.

_Somehow…Father must be told that invading the Maharajah's palace would be a mistake._ He thought as he looked out amongst the men arming themselves and going through their morning training rituals. _Though I have averted the traitorous Vizier's vile plan, I must stop Father from trying to claim the Artifacts of Time all the same. They must not be allowed to leave the Maharajah's palace._

The Prince had just returned from the Maharajah's palace where he had met with the Maharajah's daughter, Farah, to return to her the mysterious Dagger of Time. The Dagger was a cryptic item in the care of the Maharajah that allowed the user to manipulate the flow of time and even reverse events recently passed. He himself had come into its possession after a chaotic series of events that lead to the release of the mystical Sands of Time and subsequent quest to undo the damage caused by his hand. In addition to returning the Dagger, the Prince sought to warn Farah of the coming betrayal of the Maharajah's Vizier. The Vizier seeks the Dagger to give himself immortality and his manipulative ways lead to the Prince releasing the Sands. However, the Prince had managed to successfully undo the release of the Sands and even reversed time to the point before the invasion ever took place. Using his knowledge of the future, he rushed to Farah's bedroom in an effort to possibly prevent any of it from happening again. As he warned the princess of the Vizier, he was interrupted by the Vizier and forced to engage him in mortal combat, emerging victorious and putting an end to the Vizier's ambitions.

"Good morning, Prince!" one of the men called to him as he exited his tent. "Today will be a day of glory and honor for Persia!"

The Prince paid him little mind as he found his way to his father's tent. Inside, King Shahraman was being fitted by his servants with his battle attire.

"Father, I must speak to you about this invasion," the Prince said.

"Son, it is good to see you so ready for battle!" the king said upon seeing his son in his tent. He sent his servants away so he would be able to talk to his son in private. "Come, son, tell me what you came to say."

"Father, the invasion of the Maharajah's palace…we should not carry forward with it," the Prince told his father. "There are forces at work here greater than you understand and invading the Maharajah's palace would set those forces into motion."

The king looked shocked at his son's sudden lack of desire. "My son, why would you not want to fight for glory and honor? Do you not know what it means to serve your country and prove its strength?"

"That isn't why I am asking you to avoid invading the palace," the Prince countered. "I have every interest in bringing glory to our throne but there is a much deeper reason that we cannot disrupt by invading the Maharajah's palace."

The king was confused by his son's words. "What are these 'forces' you describe that you say cannot be disrupted?" he asked.

"I…cannot explain what it is. It is a higher reason beyond your understanding," he said.

"And what makes you so capable of understanding them?"

"Because…I have had…" the Prince stammered. He was having trouble finding reason to explain his case. "I have had…a vision."

"A vision?"

"Yes…I have seen the fate of our soldiers and if this invasion were to happen, we'd be met with nothing but defeat and a violent end," the Prince said. He knew his father believed in omens and decided to play on this fear in an effort to discourage the attack.

The king pondered his son's words. "I too have seen visions in the past that have eventually come to pass. And you say our troops will be unsuccessful if we attempt to take on the Maharajah's guard, according to your prophecy?"

The Prince nodded. The king walked past him and looked out of his tent across the legions of men preparing for war. He turned around to face his son.

"Despite your vision, I cannot stop this from happening. If we were to tell the men that the invasion would not happen, who knows what their reaction would be? They might very well mutiny and we can't have that," he told the Prince.

"No, Father!" the Prince said, defiantly. "This has nothing to do with the men! They are your subjects, you could easily have any dissenters dealt with! This is about your own personal desires and want of glory and honor and inability to see anything past that!"

"Silence, son!" the king said, interrupting the Prince's argument. "I will hear none of this! Even if what you say is true, I am King Shahraman of Persia and my will is to be done. Even as the Prince of Persia you are still not in the position to question my agenda so you'd best learn your place. I respect the notion that you have had seen these visions but this attack will carry forward."

The Prince looked dejected that his plea had failed. "But…" he started, trying to find another reason to cancel the attack but could not find the words. _If only I could tell Father that I have not "seen" these things…but have experienced them myself and have him understand that._

"However…I trust that your conviction is not rooted in falsehood and your visions do predict some kind of catastrophe for our men," the king continued. "As such, I will accommodate anything I can to avoid causing us any great misfortune."

The Prince was renewed with hope. Even if he couldn't stop his father's attack on the fortress, at least he might be able to dissuade him from taking the Artifacts of Time. "Yes," he told the king. "In my vision I saw our troops attempting to capture two artifacts inside the palace: a giant hourglass and a mysterious blue dagger. These two items seemed to bring the downfall of us and our men once we left the palace. Unfortunately the vision did not make clear what exactly it was that struck us down, just that if we are to avoid any hardship that these artifacts should not be taken from the palace."

The king nodded. "I will see to it that we do not take anything from the palace resembling these artifacts during the siege."

The Prince thought more for a moment. "Father…there is one more thing…"

"Yes, my son?"

"It would be advisable…to avoid taking hostages from the palace. The vision I had…showed me someone in the group of hostages would be the one to bring about our destruction. I believe if we avoid taking prisoners from the palace, we may be able to sidestep an untimely fate."

"Then so be it," the king said. "There are definitely forces beyond the reasoning and understanding of humans and if these visions have come to you on the night before our siege then I will pay them careful mind and follow through with your requests."

"Thank you, Father," the Prince said. He bowed then showed himself out of the king's tent. _Even if I have not been able to stop my father's men from attacking the Maharajah's palace, at least I have ensured the Artifacts of Time will remain undisturbed and the safety of Farah._

-----

Later that day, the king's men had attacked the Maharajah's palace as was planned. The Prince looked around at the chaos and fire erupting as a result of the ensuing battle from one of the castle's guard walls. He shook his head as he recalled the same battle that he had taken part in from before the time reversal.

_It is a shame I could not stop this from happening…so much senseless death and destruction._ He looked out over the castle walls then saw something in the distance. It was a lone red-clad woman with a bow attempting to defend her home from the attackers. She was shooting arrows into the courtyard below to provide support to the palace guards fighting within. _Could that be…Farah?_ He thought. He descended the castle wall and crossed the wrecked courtyard to the adjacent wall that would lead to the wall where the woman was. After he climbed up the opposite wall, he took another look and saw it was indeed Farah. He ran into the guard tower that intersected the wall he was on and the wall Farah was shooting from.

"Farah?" he shouted above the bedlam of the ongoing battle. She turned towards the sound of her name and saw the Prince standing inside the guard tower at the end of the walkway. She left her post and scurried into the safety of the tower. "Farah…" he started.

Her immediate response was to slap the Prince in the face. "Ow!" he cried in pain after the slap. "What was that for?"

"How dare you try to talk to me again after your men sack my palace for no reason!" she told him angrily. "How can I believe anything you said before if your men still attacked us? My countrymen are dying and you have done nothing to stop it, despite all you claimed to know! I bet you intend to take me captive just as you told me in your story!"

"No! Nothing I told you was fiction! I had experienced it all, returning the Dagger of Time to you this morning was my proof!" he tried to explain himself. "I assure you when I returned to the camp this morning I made a case to my father that this attack on your home would be a waste and that we should move on. However my father is a stubborn, honor-driven man and he still believed the attack would be best for the glory Persia so I was unable to convince him otherwise."

"Liar!" she cried, tears welling up in her eyes. "What reason do I have not to kill you right here?!" She reached behind into her quiver of arrows and pulled out an arrow. She slowly laid it on her bow and then took aim at the Prince's forehead at point-blank range. "I can't believe I fell for your deceit…"

"Stop this, Farah…" the Prince said. "Think about all I have told you…I've told you things that you said you've never revealed to anyone…" reminding her about the secret word he used when he left her in the morning. She slowly lowered her bow and released her tension on the bowstring. "I understand if you don't believe me but do understand I've done as much as I could to prevent as much of the story as I told you."

"How…?" she asked, still uncertain if she should believe the strange prince's words.

"I was able to at least convince my father that taking the Hourglass of Time and the Dagger would be a very unwise choice. He has ordered the troops that we are only to raid valuables from the halls of the palace. The Hourglass and Dagger are safe from capture," the Prince explained. "We will give the Sultan of Azad something else from the palace instead of the Hourglass…even though I stopped the Vizier I cannot feel safe knowing the Hourglass and the Dagger are in the hands of someone else who might be tempted to unknowingly release the Sands as I did." He took Farah's hand into his own. She quickly pulled away and turned her back to the Prince.

"I have also told my father not to take any hostages from the palace. I had you in mind the whole time I was making my case to my father. You, your family and any other residents of the palace will be able to remain here after our men are done," he told her. "I am terribly sorry this had to happen to your home. Know that I make no endorsement of my father's actions here and I've done as much as I possibly could to stop the invasion from happening but alas, it was for naught."

Farah slowly turned back toward the Prince and looked him in the eyes. She saw the sincerity that he carried and dropped her bow and arrow. She stumbled forward two steps and then fell into his chest, crying.

"My…my home…" she said through sobs.

"I know…" the Prince said as comfortingly as possible. "I wish there was something more I could do…but even with the Dagger of Time I would be unable to stop my father's ambition." She pulled her head from his chest and looked at him again.

"Is…is what you said true?" she asked him. "That if you never came to me this morning then everything as you told me would come to pass?"

"I give you my absolute word," he assured her. "With my knowledge of the consequences, I may not have been the one to release the Sands in this timeline but if the Vizier were to ever obtain the Dagger of Time, I would not need to be. I would probably be one of the many victims of the Sands of Time." Farah wiped her eyes of tears.

"And…is what else you said also true?"

"What is that…?"

"That…in the alternate timeline you described, you and I…we fell in love?" she asked. The Prince slowly nodded. "I…I trust you," she said. She passionately hugged the Prince. "Thank you, Prince," she whispered into his ear.

"I would go to any length for you, Farah," he told her. The two shared a long kiss inside the guard tower while the battle raged outside. After what seemed like an eternity, the two parted.

"Will…will we ever see each other again?" Farah asked. "I still don't even know your name…"

"It might be possible…" the Prince replied. "For now, it's best we leave things as they are. I must return to my father's company lest I cause suspicion and they come looking for me. I admit I am a liability as the Prince of Persia."

The Prince turned to leave the guard tower before stopping short. "Wait…there's one more thing…" He pulled out a small, coin-like object from inside his shirt. "I think this is yours…" It was the Medallion of Time that Farah left with him before he had sent the Sands back into the Hourglass. "It protected me from the Sands after you took the Dagger…I believe I should return this as it is another artifact of the Sands of Time."

"No…" she said. "Keep it…think of it as a memento of…us…" her voice was uneasy. A brief silence hung between the pair. "I'll always know where it is…"

"Thank you…" the Prince said. "Stay safe, Farah…" he said. He quickly gave her one last kiss on the lips then ran out of the tower the way he came in and over the edge of the wall, leaving Farah alone in the tower.

_**Continued in the next part…**_


	3. Story II: It Begins

**Seven Years: A Prince of Persia Tale**

_**Story II: It Begins**_

We had just completed the raid on the Maharajah's palace the day before. I had managed to speak to Farah one last time before we parted company. I cannot say I was pleased that I was unable to convince my father that raiding the Maharajah's palace would not be in our best interest but alas, I was still successful in averting any disaster from the Sands of Time so in that regard, I am relieved. I am also grateful that we have not taken any captives from the palace so Farah and her family are safe, despite the fact we have destroyed and robbed their home.

Our men set up a camp near an abandoned palace for the night close to the Indian border. We intended to stay the night and wake early to continue our journey to Azad. With us were the treasures of the Maharajah's palace: priceless art, jewels and even family heirlooms…all intended as gifts to the Sultan of Azad.

There was a large feast in celebration of the successful raid. We had built a large bonfire and enjoyed a celebration into the night. I had chosen to exclude myself from the celebration as I still did not agree with the raid. Once the fire had begun to die down and my father and the soldiers had resigned themselves to their tents, I went outside.

As I watched the embers die away in the remnants of the bonfire and looked at the stars, I thought about what I had left behind back in India. I had with me the Medallion that Farah left with me. I fingered it as I watched the smoke curl into the midnight sky. I recalled in my mind the events that had transpired and what I had seen.

_Time is indeed like a ocean in a storm…but fate is the sunlight that breaks the clouds…and someday I hope fate will bring us back together…_ I thought, contemplating on my separation from Farah. The moon moved behind a cloud and cued me to return to my tent. I lay down to sleep, my head still swirling with thoughts.

Eventually, I was successful in falling asleep. I was sleeping for what I believed to be a few hours before I was jarred from my slumber. Outside my tent, I was hearing cries for help and screams of agony.

"What?" I said to myself. "Are we under attack?!"

I reached around my cot and retrieved my sword. I cautiously peered outside my tent and was greeted with chaos and turmoil. All the soldiers in the camp were awake and frantically arming themselves. Numerous tents were on ablaze and there were already a number of bodies strewn around the camp. I looked around and then caught eye of what exactly was causing the panic. The troops had engaged what seemed to be a monstrous creature. Wrapped in nothing but black and with two demonic horns, it towered over our men with eyes that glowed with scathing ferocity. I rushed from my tent in an attempt to aid the troops.

"Prince!" I heard, someone calling out to me. It was Nazim, one of our captains. He was running from the tent next to me with his sword drawn.

"Nazim! What has happened? What is this beast?" I asked him, trying to assess the situation.

"We do not know! It's not safe, don't attempt to approach the creature. We will handle it!" he replied before charging into the fray. The black creature was slaughtering our troops as they helplessly fought it. It swatted away entire units and crushed a number of its gigantic feet. Our men fought back with flaming arrows and even attempted to catapult a boulder at it. The arrows did nothing to its fearsome figure and it swatted the boulder away with ease. It continued to effortlessly battle our troops, which were fast diminishing in number. Everyone in our company was fighting back but our numbers were not great from the start and the creature was making fast work of the remaining resistance.

Nazim rushed towards the black monster with his sword fully drawn. The monster caught onto his charge and thrust its arms towards the ground. As it did, grotesque tendrils began erupting from the earth and attempted to stop Nazim. Nazim expertly dodged the black protrusions and continued undeterred towards the monster. "Vile creature! For the honor of the great kingdom of Persia, I will strike you down!" he cried. When he was within striking distance, he leaped towards the ferocious, living obelisk and attempted to slash it at the knee. But as he lunged at the beast, a tendril emerged from the creature's chest and captured Nazim by the leg. It picked him up with ease then slammed him to the ground, knocking him unconscious in an instant.

"Nazim!" I shouted, hopefully to stir him awake before the creature made the killing blow. Unfortunately, it did no good as the creature bent down and picked Nazim's body up by his leg. He held him up and I saw Nazim's unconscious form be converted into glowing particles, strangely reminiscent of the Sands of Time. I was crushed, unable to help my fellow comrade and watched as he sacrificed himself. In an instant, rage overtook my mind and I could only think of bringing the monster down myself at any cost.

"You cretin! I will not stand by and let you continue to decimate our forces! I will bring you down myself!" I shouted at the being. I cared not for my own safety as our men were nearly wiped out. I knew that if I was to die here, then it would not be for naught and that I would do all I could to take this black monster with me to the grave. I began to charge at the creature much the same as Nazim with my sword at the ready.

"Guard yourself, demon! You will pa-"

I stopped short in mid-battle cry. My feet froze as I passed by a tent on my left. Much like the other tents in the camp, it was on fire. However, the tent had caught my attention as it was where my father was residing for the night. I was mortified when I saw the flames twist and engulf the tent.

"No…" I said, now paralyzed with uncertainty. I slowly took a step towards the tent but just as I did, the roof collapsed in and the tent was destroyed. "Father!!" I cried as I saw the tent fall inwards, ensuring anyone who might have been inside was doomed to a firey grave. As I did not see my father among our troops during the battle, I could only assume he had perished inside the tent.

"Father…why?!" I said, overcome with grief. I had nearly forgotten about the monster that had caused all of this. I dropped to my knees as I stared into the inferno where my father had lost his life. There was nothing I could do and I was at a loss for my next course of action.

Amidst my grief, I heard a garbled voice speaking. It snapped me out of my stupor and brought me back to reality. It was the voice of the black beast. It had become aware of my presence. By this point, all of our troops had been crushed and I was the only person left in the camp. It pointed at me and slowly began to approach me. It continued to speak in its inscrutable tongue as it neared me. I slowly rose to my feet.

_Is…is this creature…coming for me?_ I thought as I watched the beast step towards me. It was clear to me that this creature had come to this camp looking for my blood. I knew not how it knew of my presence but it was now obvious that all the men and my father had died because of me. Confusion and indecisiveness took over my mind. If this creature was here for me, how far would it go to vanquish me? I put my sword away and my eyes darted back and forth.

_If this creature really is here to take me…I must run…it's clear I will never be able to fight this beast…_ I thought when I had gathered my thoughts. I looked around and saw the nearby abandoned palace to my right through some light woods. _Maybe…maybe I could lose the monster in there…_

I took off in the direction of the palace. My feet carried me faster than I had ever run. I didn't care what happened once I reached the palace but anything that would put distance between the creature and me would buy me some time. I ran through the trees and pushed through the brush until I was at the entrance to the palace. Surrounding the palace was a deep moat and a drawbridge was lowered to provide access to the main hall. The chains that controlled the bridge had long since rusted over so they would provide me no help in staving off the creature once it caught up to me.

Not even stopping to think about my next action, I ran across the wooden bridge and through the open door into the main hall. I briefly stopped to see if I was safe…but when I turned around, I saw the black creature suddenly materialize out of thin air in a wispy cloud on the other side of the bridge. _What?! How did it…?!_ I thought. I had no time to ponder how it had teleported behind me as I knew if it could move across time and space without difficulty, I was in grave danger.

I ran through the main hall of the palace. My body was acting instinctively, with my survival being the sole thought that crossed my mind. I ran up the steps in the main hall that lead to the palace's second floor. I looked out over the main hall balcony and saw the creature teleport into the center of the main hall. I ran off to the left and down a deteriorating hallway. The floor had fallen out here and I had to run along the wall to cross to the other side. As I ran over the wall, the creature teleported onto the ledge that I had started on. It couldn't reach me but instead attempted to capture me by extending its tendrils through the wall. I narrowly evaded all of them and successfully crossed the chasm. I continued running into the next room and once again, the black monster teleported over the chasm to continue the chase.

I took a quick right down another hallway and climbed over some debris that was left from the roof collapsing. Suddenly, I was met with a balcony that overlooked a hallway below and another balcony on the other side. I quickly surveyed the room and saw that there was a pole extending from the wall above the hallway. I hopped onto the balcony rail then jumped and grabbed the pole. I built up some momentum and then swung to the opposite balcony just in time for the creature to once more teleport to the balcony I had come from.

I knew this was becoming fruitless. If I kept running around this palace, I would surely be trapped and the creature would most definitely catch up to me. I had to escape the palace and into the woods beyond if I ever hoped to actually lose the marauding creature. I darted down the hall I was in and then took another right. I knew the wooded area I was seeking was at the back of the palace so maybe if I could climb out a window I'd be able to finally elude capture. I ran down the hall until I saw it divide again at the end. However, directly in front of me was a balcony that faced the wooded area I was seeking.

_This is my last hope…I have to find a way to get out there._ I thought. I could hear the creature stomping down the hallway so I knew I only had one chance to make this work. I rushed to the balcony and quickly looked around. To my left, I saw a crack in the wall I could shimmy over and then a tattered banner that was attached to the outer wall of the palace. The banner was hung vertically and was facing the moat. Directly across from it was a tree that had grown outwards over the moat. Behind it was the large forest I was trying to reach. I climbed over the balcony railing and then shimmied to the crack. I made my way over the banner then withdrew my sword. I let go of the crack and then plunged my sword into the banner to slow my descent down the wall.

_This will require flawless timing…_ I thought as I slid down the side of the palace. I had to properly time my dismount from the banner to catch the branches of the tree I was aiming for. The monster had reached the balcony and was looking for where I had gone. I had no time to concern myself with it as I was nearing the level of the tree I was going to jump to. As soon as it was behind me, I leaped from the banner and caught one of its branches on the other side of the moat. I swung from the branch to another tall tree that marked the beginning of the forest itself. I propped myself onto one of its branches and looked back at the palace. I saw the creature standing at the balcony I had come from and it was clearly confused by my absence. It looked around wildly before letting out a frustrated roar that rung out across the forest and evaporating into a misty cloud. I was exhausted and day had begun to break by this point. I leaned against the trunk of the tree and caught my breath, watching as the sun rose over the treeline.

_I have survived…the impossible…_ I thought. _But if that creature was so determined to catch me…I surely have not seen the last of it. It is clearly not of this world...and it wants me…_

I made my way down the tree and worked my way around the moat until I was back at the front of the palace. By now the sun had fully risen and I was bathed in the bright morning light. My clothes were dirty and tattered from my experience but otherwise I was unharmed. I reached into my shirt and pulled out Farah's Medallion. I clutched it tightly, feeling as though it might have protected me during my arduous chase. I returned it to my shirt and made my way back to the war camp to decide on my next course of action.

_I am all alone…the men are all slaughtered and Father was also slain…_ I thought as I trudged back. _That creature…why did it want me…what transgression have I committed against it? Clearly it was not of this world so…who or what have I angered?_

I decided not to plague myself with questions I couldn't answer. It would be a long journey to the next outpost of civilization. There would be many challenges ahead…this is just the beginning...

_**And so the Prince's ordeal has begun…**_


	4. Story III: Know Thy Enemy

**Seven Years: A Prince of Persia Tale**

_Story III: Know Thy Enemy_

It has been a long three months since I have seen the monster that ambushed me in India. During that time, I have struggled to return to Persia on my own, without my father or his army. They were decimated in my first encounter with the creature that now hunts me.

However, my dedication has been rewarded. Through usage of various transports, I have managed to return to the land of my home, Babylon in the kingdom of Persia. I am only here to seek refuge, for I have no understanding what this otherworldly demon will do in order to find me and I dare not put the people of my kingdom in danger. I have not seen the beast since our first encounter but knowing that it is looking for me, I have no time to rest or even sleep through the night.

As I walk the familiar streets of Babylon in the market district, I conceal my face with a hooded cloak. The people here will not recognize me and it is for the best: I do not want word to get out that I have returned to the kingdom without my father or the army. It would bring great shame and make it appear as if I was a coward, escaping from battle and leaving the troops to fend for themselves. Despite the fact that the men were annihilated with nary a chance, I have still have no desire to reveal my presence in the kingdom.

My objective here is simple. I seek our city's Great Library: a massive collection of texts and documents from the world over with information spanning the ages. Surely there I will find an answer to my question: what is this beast that is chasing me and where did it come from?

I arrive at the library at midday. The magnificent glory of the library's structure greets me as I ascend the stairs to the entrance. Tall pillars on either side of the staircase hold up the beautifully decorated stone awning with various figures etched into the front. Truly this is a shining example of the architecture of our people. However, I have no time to gaze at the structure for I have a yearning for the knowledge within.

As I enter, the cool interior soothes my worn body. I look around at the tall shelves of scrolls and books that our kingdom has collected from various scholars and other sources. People walk back and forth between the shelves, looking up their desired text. I almost lower my hood until I realize that I still want to keep my identity hidden. I approach the main desk and the female library assistant working there.

"Excuse me," I ask the assistant, trying to disguise my voice slightly. "Where do you keep your text on mythology and legends?"

"In the back," she replied. She pointed towards the back of the main area. I thanked her and crossed the library floor to the area she directed me to. The shelves in the back were tagged "Folklore and Mythology", meaning I had found the information I was seeking.

I scoured the text there for hours, hoping and praying that somewhere within I'd be able to find some information about this creature. If I could learn more about my pursuer, perhaps I might learn what it wants and, more importantly, how to appease it so that it may spare my life. I must not have been the only one to see this creature, it seems to have a place in this reality.

_Come on…somewhere in here there just has to be an answer,_ I told myself, over and over. I was doing the best I could to make connections and think what may have put me in the sights of such a menacing beast. As I thought over what I had seen and done, it began to dawn on me that the events surrounding the mystical Sands of Time and the reversal of fortune I was able to bring about by returning them to the hourglass may have been partially responsible. I began to direct my research towards mythical beings that may have a connection to time itself. Slowly, as night began to fall, I was able to trace the evidence of a mythical monster that acts as a guardian.

By nightfall, I was studying by candlelight and the rest of the library's employees had gone home for the night. I was determined to stay where I was until I learned what I wanted to know. Through my research, I had covered almost every single piece of parchment that was available in the section I was studying. It was nearly midnight before I stumbled on a large book on a high shelf. _This must be it,_ I thought , _Surely this book must have the information I'm looking for._ I pulled it off the shelf and brought it down to my table. I flipped through the pages with enthusiasm, faith guiding my eyes to the sought-after research.

"Yes!" I cried, discovering the article in the book that revealed what I had wanted to know. "This is it!" My eyes were locked to the page as I read the words contained within:

"_The Dahaka: a monster from another world. Legend has it this creature is a manifestation of time itself, a guardian who ensures no person is able to change or escape their fate. Stories have only been told of such a monster as anyone who has had the misfortune of meeting this creature has never lived to tell. It is relentless, chasing its prey to any length to see to it that fate is satisfied. Its imposing black figure and glowing eyes are merely a hazy recollection of those who claim to have witnessed its rampage. To date no one can confirm to having ever seen such a terrible force. The language it speaks is incomprehensible by humans; some say it is the voice of the timeline."_

Next to the page was an artist rendition of the monster. Tendrils covered its body while a faint black aura surrounded its tall frame and its eyes blazed with a glow; exactly as I had remembered the creature during our first encounter. _Fate…_ I thought, as I read. _I have changed my fate when I reversed the timeline with the Sands of Time…_ My heart sank, for I knew now what the beast wanted with me. I had interrupted the flow of time and cheated certain death by activating the Hourglass of Time. I understood now that I was meant to die in India and by avoiding it, I had invoked a terrible force that would ensure that I would at some point.

_I cannot escape fate. I am…_ My thoughts were suddenly cut short by a loud crash at the front of the building. I immediately sprung to my feet. "The Dahaka! It is here!" I said, immediately recognizing the telltale sound of destruction. I heard the garbled voice of the monster calling for me. Almost as soon as I stood up, the ground erupted with a sea of tendrils coming out of the ground. The library's shelves were knocked aside with ease and they fell to the ground, splintering in a cloud of dust accompanied by a mighty crash. The scrolls on the shelves were strew about, torn and destroyed. I knew if I was going to survive this encounter I had to leave immediately. I looked on the floor and saw the scrolls at my feet. I picked up my candle off the table.

"If you want me, creature, I will not make it easy for you!" I shouted back at the Dahaka as it stomped over the fallen shelves towards me. I threw my candle to the ground, igniting the paper on the floor. The fire started spread quickly as it jumped across all the paper, soon also igniting the shelves. I took the opportunity to run into the back of the library. I knew windows in the back through which I could escape. Behind me, the fire continued to spread. I charged through the library, darting between the bookshelves. As I did, the Dahaka crashed through the separating wall. Behind it, the fire had turned into an inferno; it would not be long before it consumed the entire Great Library. My heart was full of regret that the documents contained here would never be read by another soul but I was without choice in the situation. The Dahaka tried to crush me by knocking over the shelves. It almost succeeded but I managed to roll out from underneath the cascading books and the shelves and escaped on the other side. By this point, smoke had begun to fill the library and the air had become thick. The hole the Dahaka punched through the far wall had allowed the smoke to flow freely throughout both areas. I had reached the back of the library and saw my gateway to freedom at the top of a shelf: a small window that allowed air to flow in and out of the library. I hastily scaled the tall shelves, knocking books off as I ascended. The fire was still growing and had begun to enflame the shelves and books in the back of the library.

I reached the top of the shelves and begun to squeeze myself through the hole. It was a tight fit but I was able to successfully pull my body through the window. Just as I did, the Dahaka's extended a tendril and latched onto the shelves. It pulled them down with a great force; had I not been able to ascend them as quickly as I did I would have perished right there and then. I took a quick look around outside. The sky was rumbling with thunder and lightning and otherwise the only lights in the area were the oil lamps along the streets. I quickly tried to chart an escape route, scanning the various rooftops for a path that would allow me to evade the monster. I was facing a series of pillars that held up the back part of the stone awning. The pillars were thin enough for me to grapple if I were to jump to one so I did so, just as the Dahaka's tendrils began protruding through the wall of the library. I could see inside that the fire had almost entirely taken over the interior. I worked my way across the pillars, jumping from one to the next like I had during my adventure in India. From the last one, I was able to safely jump to a nearby rooftop.

The thunder above was beginning to get stronger, as if it was an omen of my fate. Not dwelling on anything but my own survival , I landed on the roof and took off running again. The Dahaka had smashed its way out of the library and had caught eye of me. It immediately teleported behind me, closing the gap I had worked so hard to put between us. I was undeterred by this and continued across the rooftops. I leapt from roof to roof and did whatever it took to stay ahead. I knocked over jars and poles, even though it was merely a fruitless gesture of desperation. Every time I managed to put distance between the monster, it would simply teleport closer and attempt to grab me, even if I moved to a different rooftop.

_How much longer can I go?_ I thought, my body beginning to slow down. The thunder above had intensified and a light rain began to fall. I realized that it would probably be pointless to stay on the rooftops; I'd be much more agile on the ground level. I saw a rope running between two buildings and into an alley so I leapt from the roof I was on and caught the rope. I slid down it as quickly as I could muster. By the time I was at the street level, the rain had begun coming down at full strength. It cascaded down the rooftops and into the alleyway. I checked around me to see which way to go next but as I did, I heard the mangled cry of The Dahaka from above. I stepped into the street and looked onto the rooftops. To my astonishment, the beast had vanished. I was confused that such a persistent creature would not want to continue the chase but I accepted that I had been given a reprieve.

I looked back and could see the orange glow of the Great Library fire. People had begun coming into the street to see the destruction of their once renowned library. As remorseful as I was, I could not be concerned with this for I was a wanted man and now had been pursued on my own soil. I was not safe here and did not want to cause the people of Persia any further grief. I pulled my hood over my head and began to walk towards the edge of the city.

_The Dahaka…guardian of the timeline. Clearly I have been marked for death by it or some force that controls it. I am not safe here…I am not safe anywhere. I can prolong my fate…but at some point I will succumb. But there must be a way…a way to save myself. The past is set in stone and my fate has been decided…but I have fought fate once before and won…is it possible once more? I now understand why I am its prey so perhaps there is a way to escape from it. I must find that way...at any cost...  
_

_**Can the Prince escape his fate?**_

_(A/N: Sorry for the delay. I've been busy and hadn't had much time for writing. This story was more of a short bridge before I move onto more in-depth stories of the Prince's run from the Dahaka in future stories. The next episode will likely take place a few years in the future so keep an eye out.)_


End file.
